Modular multifunctional mother-beam

ABSTRACT

Multifunctional modular mother-beam built in structural steel or similar light, sturdy material, with a “U” configuration and provided with holes along its entire length, either on the back side, on the flanks, or on the edges, by which said mother-beams connect to one another either through their back sides, their flanks, or their edges, at any angle. They are fastened with screws inserted into said holes, with no need for welding. The flanks and edges are bended to facilitate fitting and fastening of the mother-beams. Mother-beams may connect by overlapping their back sides, by joining their edges, by joining their flanks, by joining flanks with edges, edges or flanks with the back side, through direct or reversed connection. It can act as a beam, pillar, trussed beam or bar, being especially useful in the construction of large areas, such as pavilions or similar constructions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a national application and claims the benefit of thepriority filing date of Portuguese patent application no. 105579 filedwith the National Institute for Industrial Property (INPI) on Mar. 16,2011 in the name of MODELING SOLUTIONS, UNIPESSOAL, LDA.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

None

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

None

STATEMENT REGARDING COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material thatis subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objectionto the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or thepatent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office fileor records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND

The present invention is a mother-beam which, through its configurationand holes, covers large spans. It also provides innovative features,enabling single or double pillars, overlapping in different angles, andconnection through either of its parts.

By using just one module of a single type, the new modular mother-beamallows for building structures that, until now, was done in a slow wayand required numerous different structural elements.

It can be connected in any angle from the back side, or fixed by theflanks or edges. The object of the modular mother-beam invention is toallow it to assume the role of a pillar, a beam, a trussed beam or abar. It can also be reinforced, depending on the purpose of theconstruction.

Moreover, by allowing this kind of practically limitless connection, themother-beam does not require any welding. This means that it would nowbe possible to build large structures without welding. It would bepossible to build robust pillars, connect them to a beam structure, andbuild all kinds of trussed beams and reinforcements solely by modularconnection. The mother-beams would be fixed to each other using a singletype of screw.

Currently, all structural metal elements in buildings (e.g., houses,pavilions, industrial facilities, and greenhouses), coverings, andsupport structures (e.g., facades, sun farms, and parking lots) areimplemented using parts designed in a project. This has the maindrawback of requiring the development of specific parts in order tobuild a given metal structure, from very thick and heavy metal plates toa plurality of components with high dimensional control.

Moreover, such a system requires a great number of connecting parts, andin the constructive and assembly stage, it requires a great deal ofwelding, pickling and painting. The workmanship is enormous andexpensive. Furthermore, many large structures can only be lifted withthe use of heavy cranes.

The construction of large industrial facilities has always met with anumber of problems. Firstly, it is necessary to overcome large gapsbetween pillars. The traditional solution is to increase the number ofpillars, which limits the amount of usable space. The existing solutionis a longitudinal overlapping of beams and their juxtaposition withother perpendicular beams, at 90 degree angles.

The proposed invention seeks to go much further. The beam or mother-beamshould have the following capabilities:

-   -   The ability to be longitudinally superimposed upon one another        in order to overcome large spans, which solution is similar to        other existing ones except that the invention also enables        overlapping throughout the whole back side.    -   The ability to be superimposed upon one another in any angle,        thus allowing an infinite variety of orientations of the        mother-beams, which greatly enhances their use;

-   The ability to transform itself into a plain or reinforced pillar,    serving a purpose it was not previously suited for;

-   The ability to connect both beam or mother-beam through the back    side (in direct or reversed connection), as well as through the    edges or flanks;    -   The ability to connect the back side with the flank or the edge,        the flank with the flank, or the flank with the edge, thereby        enabling practically all mounting solutions under normal        circumstances when building a given structure;    -   The ability to cross over, to be juxtaposed, and to connect to        beam-structures or trussed beams in any angle.

Essentially, the proposed invention increases the ability to overcomelarge spans with enormous reduction in the amount of material used bysimplifying the assembly process and by allowing the addition of modularmaterial, while providing multipurpose use as a beam, as a bar, as atrussed beam or as a solid pillar.

More elements (beams, pillars, trussed beam or bars) can be added at anytime without the need for changing or moving structural elements in theconstruction.

On the other hand, the invention highly facilitates storage andtransportation, it does not require any welding or any surface treatmentto the structures, and it enables a faster execution.

The proposed invention starts off from a beam with the generalappearance of a U-shaped profile, with multiple folds on the flanks andedges, which makes connecting, overlapping and fastening easier.

It is made out of structural steel and, in its most common version, themother-beam is light and sturdy.

It has holes along its entire length, both on the back side, as well ason the flanks and edges, and it makes it possible to fasten, connect,and juxtapose several elements in different ways, thereby enabling theconstruction of pillars, bars and beams of various lengths, and theanchoring from any angle.

The configuration of the mother-beam is crucial to itsmulti-functionality. The positioning of the holes throughout the wholeback side, flanks and edges, as well as its U-shaped profile with aspecially configured angled structure, enable a huge diversity offunctions.

During the process of assembly or construction of pavilions and otherlarge size areas, it would possible to build and assemble all structuralelements using the same mother-beams (and not merely beams inlongitudinal or perpendicular alignments) by simply choosing theanchorage angle according to the holes. This makes the process quickerand simpler.

The process, besides being simple, becomes much more economic. Not onlyis the process faster and requires less workmanship, it also uses onlyone kind of mother-beam that can perform all the functions performed bybeams, bars, trussed beams, and pillars.

The use of profile beams made of lightweight material and with holesthat allow their juxtaposition to overcome large spans is relativelyrecent. Known are beams with holes in the terminal area that enablelongitudinal overlapping. In particular, there are beams, ones with aU-shaped profile, ones with holes on the ends, and ones which are ableto connect longitudinally on the backside of each other and to overcomelarge spans.

However, the features of such beams are much more limited than the onesof the present invention. They do not allow overlapping in angles otherthan 90 degrees; they do not allow any other alignment thanlongitudinally, by aligning a beam with a corresponding one, back toback, in a straight line; they do not allow for the construction ofpillars; they do not allow the crossing and juxtaposition of elementswith different sections; and they do not allow for further modularincreases in any direction.

SUMMARY

The present invention is a multifunctional modular mother-beam built instructural steel or in similar light, sturdy material, with a “U”configuration and provided with holes along its entire length, either onthe back side (1 and 1-a), on the flanks (2 and 2-a) or on the edges (3and 3-a), by which said mother-beams connect to one another eitherthrough their back sides, their flanks or their edges, in any angle.They are fastened with screws inserted into said holes, with no need forwelding. The flanks and the edges are bended (2-b 3-b) in such a way asto facilitate the fitting and fastening of the mother-beams. Themother-beams may connect by overlapping their back sides, by joiningtheir edges, by joining their flanks, by joining flanks with edges, andedges or flanks with the backside, either through direct or reversedconnection. It has the ability to serve as a beam, pillar, trussed beamor bar, and is most desirable for the construction of large areas inpavilions or similar constructions.

FIGURES

FIG. 1 represents the mother-beam, highlighting the holes in the backside (1 and 1-a), the flank (2 and 2-a) and the edge (3 and 3-a);

FIG. 2 shows the more conventional crossing of two mother-beams, inmirror fashion and in a 90 degree angles, with screw fastening (4) inthe holes of the edges (3-a);

FIG. 3 represents a crossing between two beams in a 45 degree angle,fastened by screws (4) in the same way as in the previous drawing;

FIG. 4 shows an external connection, in which the mother-beam isperpendicularly connected to one another through the holes on the edges(3-a);

FIG. 5 shows an internal connection, perpendicularly connecting themother-beam to one another through the holes on the flanks and the edges(2-a and 3-a);

FIG. 6 shows a tubular connection between two mother-beams in mirrorfashion, fixed through their edges (3), which is a particularly suitedsolution for pillars;

FIG. 7 shows a reinforced tubular connection, recommended for morerobust pillars, in which two beams overlap in mirror fashion, fixedthrough their edges (3);

FIG. 8 shows a star structure, consisting of four mother-beams fastenedtogether by connecting the edges (3) with the flanks (2), which is asuitable solution for reinforced pillars and beam-framework which allowsseveral unions;

FIG. 9 shows an inverted tubular union in which the mother-beams areconnected through the back side (1), a suitable solution for duplicatingpillars and for beam- framework with multiple connections;

FIG. 10 shows an inverted star union, with connections through theflanks (2) and edges (3) with the use of four mother-beams, arecommended solution for the construction of pillars or reinforced beamswith direct lateral assembly of other elements;

FIG. 11 shows a double inverted union, in which two mother-beams areconnected by the edges (2), longitudinally in an asymmetric mirrorfashion;

FIG. 12 shows some possible uses or placements arising from uniting orjuxtaposing the mother-beam object of the invention, of which:

12-a shows a cross-section of the mother-beam in a simple application;

12-b shows a cross-section of the mother-beam in a double application(back-side overlapping);

12-c shows a cross-section of the mother-beam in a tubular application;

12-d shows a cross-section of the mother-beam in a double invertedconnection, fastened through the holes on the flanks;

12-e shows a cross-section of the mother-beam in a star assembly, byusing four modules and by connecting edges and flanks;

12-f shows a cross-section of the mother-beam in a star assembly, byusing four modules and connecting edges to flanks;

12-g shows a cross-section of the mother-beam assembled in an innercorner anchorage, by using two modules connected through the flank andthe edge;

12-h shows a cross-section of the mother-beam assembled in an outercorner anchorage, by using two modules connected through the flank andthe edge.

FIG. 13 represents a profile cross-section of the mother-beam, showingin greater detail the bending of the flanks (2-b) and edges (3-b).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention starts-off from a mother-beam made of structural steel ora similar succedaneum light, sturdy material with a generally U-shapedconfiguration. This “U” shape is the result of successive folds from theback side to the edges. Specifically, such folds are present between theflanks (2-b) and the edges (3-b) along its entire length.

In fact, only the back side (1) has a flat surface, which facilitatescoupling and modular fastening.

The flanks (2) have more or less pronounced folds (2-b) that award acertain convexity along the entire length of the mother-beam. The edges(3), on the other hand, have positive bending (3-b), also along theentire length of the mother-beam.

Such bending facilitates the coupling of the modules and providesstrength to the anchorage. Accordingly, when connecting from edge toedge (FIG. 11, by way of example), or edge to flank (FIG. 5 and FIG. 8,as examples), the slight bending of the edge—present along its wholeextension—provides increased tension and strength when tightening thescrews (4). The same happens when coupling from flank to flank (FIG.12-d, for example).

The mother-beam receives three types of holes throughout its entirelength: On the back side (1-a), on the flanks (2-a), and on the edges(3-a). Such holes are all in longitudinal alignment.

The holes on the back side are used, namely, to overlap two beams ormother-beams in longitudinal alignment, allowing a variety of lengths,suitable to overcome spans of very different dimensions. For thatpurpose, it is enough to overlap one mother-beam over another, along anypoint of its length.

However, they can also be fastened through the back sides with reverseorientation (FIG. 9). As the holes are present along the entire lengthof the mother-beam, they allow juxtaposition or another type oflongitudinal fastening with any intended length.

As they are made of lightweight and highly resistant material,mother-beams can be overlapped only on their borders, overcoming largespans, or may be overlapped along larger sections, for smaller spans.

Mother-beams can even be fully overlapped one upon another, in order tocreate stronger structures (FIG. 12-b).

If the mother-beams are reversed, by turning the two posterior faces inmirror fashion, they can be crossed at 90 degrees (FIG. 2), in its mostcurrent version, or with intended bending (FIG. 3), without thelimitation of perpendicular orientation.

In fact, the above described possibility comes from the positioning ofthe holes. Thus, the holes along the entire length of the edges enablereversed placement and fixation of the mother-beams at any point (FIG. 2and FIG. 3).

The configuration of the mother-beams also determines its exceptionalfunctionality. Indeed, with the use of this new type of metal structure,the same element can be a bar, a beam or a trussed beam, or it maysometimes turn into a pillar.

Although it can take up the function of a beam in its most conventionalapplication, simply by overlapping the backside of a mother-beam alonganother, the invention has many other possibilities which have alreadybeen duly tested.

Thus, with the same mother-beam, one can build a pillar, simply byconnecting two mother-beams in mirror fashion by the edges (FIG. 6);while it is also possible to overlap the whole set with the same type offasting by the edges, with the purpose of creating a more reinforcedpillar (FIG. 7); or the star union of four mother-beams (FIG. 8), byjoining the flanks of two of them (2) to the edges of the other two (3)with screws.

Besides its longitudinal juxtaposition, as stated above, the mother-beamenables an outer lateral fastening (FIG. 4) in which a mother-beam isconnected perpendicularly to the other, fastening the top of an edge (3)to the other with screws (4) into the respective holes (3-a).

And the same would occur with an inner fastening perpendicularly betweentwo mother-beams (FIG. 5), this time with the attachment being madebetween the edges of one and the flanks of the other through therespective holes (2-a).

FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 show us some possibilities of this versatilemother-beam. By choosing the holes and attaching the edges, flanks, ortops, it is possible to use mother-beam in multiple roles in thestructural construction of large structures, such as pavilions,industrial facilities, warehouses, etc.

FIG. 12, which merely exemplifies the possibilities of juxtaposing orconnecting mother-beams, shows us some solutions ranging from the use ofa single mother-beam (12-a) or with back side overlapping (12-b), forbeams or bars; to its connection for pillars (12-c, 12- and 12-f) orother solutions (12-d, 12-g, and 12-h) with numerous connectionpossibilities.

The modules are always fastened with screws. These screws can be equallyapplied to the edges (for example, in FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 11), or tothe flanks (see for example FIG. 5, FIG. 8, FIG. 10 and FIG. 12-d), orto the back side.

In fact, the whole invention uses a single type of mother-beam and asingle type of screw. Thus, the same mother-beam can take up the role ofa beam, a bar, a trussed beam, or a pillar, and the same screw cam beapplied in every hole.

The construction is finished after everything is tightened with screws.There is no need for welding in any moment, and structural elements arebuilt with a single type of beam.

As described above, construction, transportation, assembly anddisassembly becomes faster, more economic and much simpler.

Construction is limited to a single type of modular mother-beam, whichsignificantly decreases production costs. The screws are also of asingle type.

Transportation becomes much simplified and economic, as it is possibleto accommodate a single type of modular mother-beam, perfectly matchingwith one another and taking up less space.

Assembly is simple and takes up less workmanship. Modular mother-beamsare lightweight, easy to handle and easily attachable, and can fastentogether.

The same modular mother-beam can perform several functions in thestructure to be built.

At any time, the structure can be expanded simply by connecting moremodular beams.

Coupling can be internal or external, and so any section of themother-beam can be connected to any section of another mother-beam.

Assembly can be made in any angle by two or more beams. It requires nowelding.

It does not require the construction of structural elements according toa specified project.

Disassembly is simple because there are no welded elements. It islimited to loosening screws.

1. A multifunctional modular mother-beam, comprising an overall “U”shaped configuration, made of structural steel or similar light, sturdymaterial, provided with holes along its entire length, on its back side(1 and 1-a), on its flanks (2 and 2-a) or on its edges (3 and 3-a), bywhich said mother-beam connects to another mother-beam, at any angle;said mother-beams are fastened together with a single type of screw (4)introduced into their holes; and said mother-beams are bended at theflanks (2-b) and edges (3-b).
 2. The multifunctional modular mother-beamof claim 1, wherein only the back side (1) has a flat surface.
 3. Themultifunctional modular mother beam of claim 1 wherein the flanks andedges are bended along their entire length.
 4. The multifunctionalmodular mother beam of claim 2, wherein the flanks and edges are bendedalong their entire length.